Exactly - makes no sense whatsoever - esp as recently we have Peter Quill getting his own solo book after all these decades - though again it can be argued that Quill's book is the new "Nova Prime" replacement while at the other end of the scale we have to settle with NovaJr/ Problem is the plan has been flawed right from the off - so as Co Moderator - I do expect all die hard Nova fans to have your say - but lets see how things unfold after the issues are out - remember that classic misdirection with Annihilation 4's cover - it could still all be counter bluff and counter bluff but yes - not a lot of sense at all.

--Previous Message-- : I guess that's what gives me hope. Why bring : back Rich now to kill him off when Marvel is : in a situation right now where they are : trying desperately to prop up their lesser : known properties for their west coast office : to exploit. Rich was a critical success, : and still garners praise now years after the : conclusion of his old run. Anyone with any : sense would say hey there is something : there. : : This is the die hard Nova fan board so of : course you'll hear opinions like this, but : still what kind of sense does it make to : kill off a genuine possibility for a new : franschise especially now that GOTG is : coming out. : : --Previous Message-- : Great viewpoints from both Lio Convoy and : Primer; you;re exactly right. Nova Prime is : as much a potential money maker like any : other character Marvel has (or DC, etc). In : order for comics to sell; okay there is a : certain lee-way to pander to fans interests : and what they expect their fav character : should be involved in creatively. : : The same framework applies even at fan level : - take my own Nova619 fan comic that I do : for NPP; If I altered the framework of what : Nova fans expect Rich to be - or even as : Marvel has done; replace him with a : alternate that in the end hasn't proven to : be flavor of the month to everyone - then in : turn that generates negative word of mouth - : and that as you point out is the most : powerful and influential form of advertising : there is. Just yesterday after posting the : info ref GOTG 18 or Gunn's comment that he : doesn't actually like Nova "because he : wears a helmet sic" those generated : more responses I've seen in about an hour : after posting - well over 500. : : I know there's going to be a general doom : and gloom regarding how the arc in GOTG will : pan out - BMB doesn't inspire anyone - but : here's the silver lining that you all need : to think on. In comics - its very rare that : any character stays dead forever - Captain : Mar-Vel (the original) being one of a few : exceptions. Okay some will say that he did : come back - but those returns turned out to : be plot devises wherein he was a clone or a : skrull or from the Cancerverse - whatever - : the Starlin novel was never retconed. : : Now as far as Rich goes - lets say we get : the resolution that he was : "absorbed" into Thanos just like : Scott Summers was "absorbed" into : Apocalypse during a Chris Claremont/ Alan : Davis arc. There are always ways and : creative means to re-set the status quo - a : get out clause that can be played to do : that. Added to that, along in the future : could come a creative team that obliges to : bring Rich back - ignores BMB or Loeb's so : called continuity blunders and bring him : back near to where we want him to be. Such : is the plot devise I use in Nova619 - : different universe, different timeline - : just branching out along a different path : "prior" to the major catastrophe : where events lead to that character's death. : Dna did it themselves in War of Kings - : showing us a path where if Rich has followed : through with Nita, not got involved with : Stamford, etc... : : So the silver lining is folks that a) if we : see Rich does die and its a way Nova fans : will fully respond too with displeasure - : show your feelings by going to BMB or Alex : ALonso or any marvel forum and vent your : feelings. Then remember that unless its a : cast iron " no return" scenario - : there is always a way and means to bring a : fictional character back from any apparent : death. Conan Doyle did it with Sherlock : Holmes. Some clever bloke like say Mark Waid : or another Johnathan Hickman can do the same : for Rich; the latter mores on since Thanos' : current situation is his responsibility post : Infinity - that's assuming we see the : Rich/Thanos absorbed scenario. : : --Previous Message-- : Very we'll written, lio_convoy. : : I could not agree with you more on what you : said about Rider/Nova getting a lot of free : internet publicity. In marketing, word of : mouth advertisement is the best and most : powerful form of advertisement and Richard : Rider have been getting a lot of it : recently. Now it has reach a peak. : : Believe it or not, Marvel is very happy with : you and everyone else who have posted : comments about Richard Rider here on this : board, cbr, cbn, and many others because you : are representing them by doing the : advertisement for them. As a direct result : of your action, your comments are actually : helping marvel save a lot of money on : advertisement and also helping them by bring : more interest to Richard Rider which at the : end will generate more sales. : : Ultimately, your comments are helping Marvel : make a lot of money. : : It would be a fool and idiotic move on : Marvel if they decide to kill Rider and : completely replace him with Sam when so many : people in the internet and through out the : world wants to see Richard Rider back as : Nova Prime. Think of all of the money : Marvel will lose if Marvel do decide to do : that. : : : : --Previous Message-- : Nothing I've read gives me any kind of : confidence about what happens to Rich, but : I've got to show my support for the : character, even if it is for one last time. : For the first time in years, I'm buying a : few Marvel comics. (GOTG 18-20.) I put the : 3 issues on sub at a comic book shop and I : also sent a message to Brevoort's tumblr : page to let him know why there was a +1 for : those 3 issues (so he wouldn't get it : confused with sales numbers going up from : the movie). He replied to my message, so I : know he got it. : : Great to see something new with Richard in : it, but it's going to suck to say good-bye : to my favourite superhero. Until now, at : least I held out hope for a return, but the : longer it goes, and the more I've seen : online (difficulties getting Rich Rider : approved for a video game, not being in the : GOTG movie, Sam being on TV, people talking : about Rich's helmet being seen in the new : comic, and even the few responses I've seen : from Brevoort & Bendis regarding Rich) I : think we've got to finally admit, this is : the end of the road for one of the coolest, : more badass characters comics ever had. I'm : usually an optimist, but nothing about this : has given me any kind of hopeful feeling, : and unless there was a last minute change of : heart from BMB (which I doubt, seeing as I : read he killed Ultimate Peter Parker and he : was a bigger character for Marvel than Rich : ever was), I'm pretty sure we'll be saying : good-bye to RR in GOTG #20 for good. I get : why Marvel changes things up (to keep things : fresh and to attract new readers), but the : downside is that to those of us who've : invested our money, time and developed : attachments to characters, it really, really : sucks. : : Seeing the new art with Rich and Peter and : Thanos gets me excited, but that excitement : is underscored by this slightly depressing : feeling of because my favourite character's : being treated in a way I wish he wouldn't : be. Comics are supposed to make you feel : good. They're supposed to be fun, and an : escape. This whole deal with Rich, how : Marvel seems to be addressing the issue to : his fans, and everything pointing to him : being erased from the Marvel U after this : just makes me feel bad. : : Sometimes a reboot is a good thing. Other : times, it's a misstep. I'm not against : them, and I've really enjoyed a few reboots : of old properties. What I don't get is why : Marvel spent so much time to really develop : Rich and make him one of the most badass : superheroes in their lineup only to pull the : plug a few years later when they cancelled : their entire cosmic lineup. Starting over : again with Sam is an obvious mistake, since : the sales numbers and fan reaction show : that. In the last few months, movie, : gaming, and comic review sites all have : mentioned Rich in one way or another, by : addressing the GOTG movie and rumors about : Rich being in it (ultimately, he wasn't not : even in the end credits), but the talk was : there about Rich, and not Sam, and people : were excited at the possibility of seeing : Rich. Comments sections were all : overwhelmingly positive about the : possibility of having Rich back. These were : people who don't frequent this board, Cosmic : or CBR. (Not the passionate fans.) Random : people on facebook, who I didn't even know : read comics knew about Rich, and talked : about that they hoped he'd be in it and not : Sam. There's also been a slow build-up of : people talking about the 3 issue GOTG arc : with Rich. What it boils down to, is in all : the years he's been in comics, I've never : seen him talked about this much. If Marvel : was going to do anything to capitalize on : Rich's popularity, now would be the time to : do it, after all of this positive talk about : him online. You can't buy the kind of good : press he's gotten since the Spring. GOTG : #18 is coming out a month after this all is : reaching a peak, so there'll still be some : people curious enough about him that will : find out he's in GOTG, and they'll pick it : up. The downside is with it more than : likely being Rich's swan song, ("Left : sealed in a twisted and horrific version of : our own universe, Richard Rider sacrificed : everything to save us.") I wonder how : many people will want to invest in a : character that's at the end of his life with : no other stories coming. : : It's almost comical, the timing of : everything. Marvel finally had a shot at : getting a good solid run with Richard thanks : to a lot of good free Internet publicity, : but instead of realizing that it was : happening, they missed catching it by not : checking out Google results for : ("Richard Rider" Nova) over the : course of 3-4 months. For once, it wasn't : just Nova fans, or cosmic fans talking about : him, but since the end of winter, he's been : splashed across so many internet news sites, : I lost count months ago. : : I'll be honestly curious to see how GOTG's : numbers do with #18. I know a part of that : will be because of the movie, but the other : part will be Rich. Again, it's bad timing, : because of the movie coming out just before, : because there's no way that Marvel can tell : which people picked it up to find out what : happened to Rich, and which people picked it : up because of the movie. : : My last thought is this. : : OTOH, all of the new readers who will go : pick up the book will be introduced to : Richard Rider. And that timing is really, : really interesting. Marvel is coming off a : point where the Internet really started : talking about Rich. The movie will still be : fresh in people's minds by the end of August : and people will go pick up the comic. : That's a lot of people who will get their : first look at Richard Rider that might not : have ever had one before. If there ever was : a time to make a successful change over from : Sam to Rich, or to re-introduce Rich in his : own book, that time is now. They've put : themselves in a position to have a win with : a Nova book for the first time by a fluke of : timing. The question is what are they doing : to the character in those 3 issues? If they : kill him off, then there goes any chance of : ever having a successful run, since they : just killed him off in front of what could : possibly be the largest audience he could : ever be introduced to. If they don't kill : him off, and the story is well written, you : know people will be asking for more. If : that's the case what's next? : : --Previous Message-- : : : : : : http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...eview&id=22830: : Well Rich fans - its getting nearer - and it : looks as if MARVEL is determined to ensure : that this is the final outing for Nova : Prime. Of course well all buy the 3 issues - : purely for the nostalgia kick of seeing Rich : and Peter (which will be drawn superbly by : McGuiness) side by side when a great stellar : team like Dna really did Marvel Cosmic proud : - shacked by a plot line that BMB probably : cobbled together on a few scraps of tissue : paper from the small room - intended to bury : Nova Prime mythology once and for all. I : think i can safely predict that the next 3 : months will be very intense for Rider fans : and after the 3rd issue comes out I think : I;d be very surprised the Nova Prime fan : base will be jovial. Gather to arms comrades : as Cosmo would say - a storm's a coming. : : : : : : : : :